“ You’re protecting the work of artists basically. In December 2017, “PUBG” creator Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene called for stricter intellectual property protections in the video game space. Massive streaming audiences and a $100 million esports prize pool suggest that the number has continued to grow at breakneck pace since then. Just two months later, in November 2017, Epic announced that “Fortnite Battle Royale’s” popularity had rocketed to 20 million players. The company suggested it was considering “further action” against Epic to protect its interests. While no suit was filed immediately, Bluehole leveled an ominous warning at Epic Games. “After listening to the growing feedback from our community and reviewing the gameplay for ourselves, we are concerned that ‘Fortnite’ may be replicating the experience for which ‘PUBG’ is known.” “We’ve had an ongoing relationship with Epic Games throughout PUBG’s development as they are the creators of (Unreal Engine 4), the engine we licensed for the game,” Chang Han Kim, Bluehole’s vice president, said in a prepared statement.
